The business behind the show

The Morning Fix: Time Warner Cable and Disney strike deal! Amazon and Apple battle. The man who made Fonzie jump that shark speaks!

September 3, 2010 | 8:46
am

After the coffee. Before figuring out how much my Time Warner Cable bill will go up!

Disney and Time Warner Cable cut new deal. For all the months of talk about how intense the next contract talks between Disney and Time Warner Cable would be, it appears that a deal came off without a hitch. On Thursday afternoon, only a few hours after the old contract expired, a deal was reached to keep Disney's ABC broadcast stations and cable channels ESPN, ABC Family and Disney Channel on Time Warner Cable systems. Time Warner Cable will also carry Disney Junior, its new kids channel, and get access to Disney products for video on demand. One of Disney big asks, to have Time Warner Cable pay a big fee for its broadband service ESPN3, did not come to fruition. Both sides sang each others praises, but we'll see how customers feel when they get new bills in a couple of months. Details from the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and Variety.

Amazon aspirations. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at what it has dubbed the new digital battlefield as Apple and Amazon fight for supremacy in renting and selling digital downloads of TV shows. Of course, the big question is whether their fight will end up hurting Hollywood a lot more than helping.

Box office battle. Looks like three R-rated movies will be fighting for the top spot at the box office this holiday weekend. There's George Clooney's "The American" from Focus Features, the Warner Bros. romantic comedy "Going the Distance" (on a side note, am I the only one who thinks Justin Long looks too young for Drew Barrymore?) and the Robert Rodriguez-directed "Machete" from 20th Century Fox. For me, I'm most likely to see "The American," as I have no desire to go the distance or be hacked up. But you don't read this for what I think, so here are the previews from Variety and the Los Angeles Times.

When you need clicks, do a porn story. The Hollywood Reporter, which some feel has gone a little tabloid under its new owners, will certainly do little to dissuade those who feel that way with its big story Friday on Vivid Video, the adult entertainment giant, and how it is trying to come up with a new business model. Usually adult entertainment firms are the first to adjust to and profit from technological shifts, but the business has been hammered by piracy on the Internet. If you are going to the site for pictures, save your time; they didn't post anything racy!

I'm shocked, shocked to find there is gambling going on here. The Wrap uncovers the stunning news that companies and politicians Comcast Corp. has supported over the years are actually writing the Federal Communications Commission letters urging the regulatory agency to approve the cable company's deal to acquire control of NBC Universal. Yes, when companies sponsor events or make donations, often those that are the beneficiaries will return the favor down the road. OK, in all honesty, although Washington insiders know this is how the game is played, it has been interesting to watch how Comcast has gotten all these Chambers of Commerce and small-town folks to write in support of its deal.

Now where was I?USA Today offers up a cheat sheet for all the shows returning this fall. So if you can't remember what happened in the last episode of "The Good Wife" or "Modern Family," consider this your gift. You can thank us later.

Game, set, match. Because it's Friday, we offer for your lowbrow entertainment an article from the New York Post about a fight breaking out in the stands at the U.S. Open. Yes, for a few minutes the country's premiere tennis event turned into a soccer game.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Telluride unveils the lineup for its annual film festival. You may not know Fred Fox Jr., but you know the famous episode of "Happy Days" he wrote, as it had something to do with the Fonz and a shark.